the mellow tigger's musings

Long time readers here will learn nothing new in this very important article, but it is validation of what I have been warning about for years. Thanks to andrewducker for finding this gem. A doctor from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai does a radio interview with CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). The doctor doesn't mention blood clots or T-cell infection but does forcefully confirm the following details:

• persistent infection
• persistent infection because immune privileged tissue like the brain gets infected
• immune system damage
• T-cell exhaustion
• failure to suppress other diseases because of immune damage
  (which is essentially my Doom Bingo 2025 topic of C-AIDS but without using that terminology yet)

"There is no such thing as a COVID infection without consequence"
- https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/beyond-long-covid-1.7485888,
"Beyond long COVID — how reinfections could be causing silent long-term organ damage"

I recommend hitting the play button near the top of that article and listening to the 20-minute interview. The text summary is good and covers the major topics, but it is incomplete. I like that particular quote the most. Stay safe out there. Keep masking, at least until all indoor spaces are well sanitized with filtration. I still need to send this info to my city, county, state, and national representatives.

After 2.5 years without any boosters, I am finally vaccinated again. I got the single injection (no follow up injections needed) in my left arm almost 2 hours ago. It took several tries yesterday to schedule a Novavax vaccine appointment. I had no luck after contacting my walking-distance medical clinic, or the clinic on a bus route south of me, or at Walgreens (despite the Novavax website's "vaccine finder" saying they offered it). Finally, I logged into the CVS website, and they had Novavax as an option. I scheduled immediately for the next morning, today. Normally, today is a work day for me, but I have today off so I can work Friday instead, part of the accommodation I'm making in order to mentor a new employee.

On the walk to the bus stop this morning, I passed many houses with frost on the yard lawn. It finally got that cold here in Minneapolis last night. On the way back... I had not just one but TWO buses just keep driving right past me at full speed, while I sat there patiently at the bus bench. I finally got up and walked to a more common bus stop. I caught the next ride home successfully.

Important news about Novavax and why I waited 2.5 years to finally get it:

1. I mentioned back in 2022 that Novavax included the S1 and S2 spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2. The other vaccines include only S1, which mutates quickly. In theory, my immune system should better protect me against future mutations if it knows the slow-moving target of the S2 spike protein. In theory.
   
   
2. In addition, the big news this weekend is that researchers may finally know why protection against COVID wanes so quickly. This article explains that the position of the spikes on the native virus (and most vaccines) is too far apart for certain immune B cells to "lock on" and establish the long term memory that we need, so our short-term immune memory fades quickly and we're left much less protected. The article notes that the "Novavax COVID-19 vaccine approved in the United States and some other countries uses insect cells to produce spikes that link together and form “rosettes,” which might offer tighter spacing of the protein and therefore durability benefits". That's big news. Now, of course, the race should be to create new vaccines with the spacing of spike proteins that helps our immune system to remember these proteins for the long term. In theory, Novavax is currently better than other vaccines at providing longer term protection. In theory.

Of course, we also know that the spike protein alone causes blood clotting, so any exposure to it can potentially offer side effects. Still, though, it is much, much better to get exposed in limited duration to a vaccine rather than a potential lifetime exposure to the self-replicating virus itself, if it establishes persistence in our bodies. Barring specific contra-indications, I still strongly recommend vaccination. And masking. And distancing. And air filtering. I'll write more in a future Moody Monday post about the good reason for continuing precautions.

Stay safe out there.

I always use my N95 elastomeric mask when I'm around people. There are some situations, though, where that option is not available. There are practical situations like eating and drinking. There are also medical exceptions like exams, dentistry, or surgery. I thought I'd mention some options I'm exploring for these situations.

For eating and drinking (outdoors only, around others), I've previously mentioned wearing a Woody Knows nostril filter. I keep it in, then I add my usual mask on top when I'm not eating/drinking (outdoors only). When I was still working in the office, I would eat my meals alone in my car rather than inside with others.

For medical procedures, I'm looking into nasal spray options. Supposedly, they can offer a few hours of reduced risk. They seem to come in 2 varieties, one for pre-exposure and one for post-exposure. Today, I bought bottles of each to try them out to see how they "feel" in my allergy-prone sinuses. And, of course, I still have my Corsi-Rosenthal box which I use after humans other than me have been inside my house. It's been used many times this year for helping to clear the air after workers' time in here. I keep my mask on while people are inside my house and while the air is clearing out after they leave.

1. pre-exposure
   • Covixyl, with Xylitol (available at Target)
   • Xlear, with Xylitol (available at Target)
   • Betadine, with Carragelose (I found at Amazon)
2. post-exposure
   • Nasomin, with iodine and fulvic acid (I found at Amazon)
   • mouthwashes, such as Listerine or Chlorhexidine, which I still need to buy somewhere

I thought I'd share, since there are no great guidelines for how mere peons in this world can protect themselves with non-prescription solutions. I don't even know what the CDC is promoting these days in their post-COVID nonsense, but The People's CDC still has this good slideshow for improving safety for in-person gatherings and another one for attending political protests. As always, a multi-pronged strategy is best.